Democratic News

Nov022001

At the invitation of the Senate Energy Committee’s majority staff, Republican committee staffers and legislative assistants today joined in two final meetings that the Democrats arranged to discuss energy legislation. Today, the staffs exchanged ideas and opinions on energy efficiency and Indian Energy titles that will be included in the proposal being produced by Chairman Jeff Bingaman. Recently, also at the invitation of the committee’s Democrats, the staffs met to talk over provisions related to oil and gas and to electricity. (These meetings also have included representatives from the Bush Administration.)
The bipartisan discussions underscore Bingaman’s consensus-building approach to legislating energy policy. “This collaborative process holds the best chance for us to get an energy bill considered and passed by the Senate,” said Bingaman. “I’m pleased that we’re moving forward in this way, and I look forward to working with all my colleagues when we take up this legislation.”
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